The present invention relates to improvement of a method of joining at least two adjacent tubular knitted fabrics to each other at ends thereof on the side adjacent to each other, such as, for example, at a side part of a sweater at which the sleeves and body are jointed to each other and at a crotch of tights at which the legs are joined to each other.
For example, when knitwear, such as a sweater, is knitted by using a flat knitting machine, its body and right and left sleeves commences knitting from the hem toward the shoulder with needles in different regions on the flat knitting machine. The body and the right and left sleeves are each knitted in the form of a tubular fabric in which their front fabrics knitted with needles of a front needle bed and their back fabrics knitted with needles of a back needle bed are joined to each other at ends thereof on the side parts adjacent to each other. After the body and both sleeves are joined to each other at their side parts, they are knitted into a large tubular fabric from the side parts toward shoulder by feeding a yarn to both of the body and the sleeves. This knitting method can produce knitwear that can eliminate or simplify the sewing process after knitting. As is the case with the side part of the sweater, the crotch of tights is also formed by joining both knitted fabrics to each other. In the tights, right and left legs are each knitted into a tubular form, starting from toes toward waist, and then are joined to each other at the boundary between the legs and the waist and, thereafter, are knitted into a large tubular fabric in the waist.
According to a generally known method of joining together two adjacent knitted tubular fabrics to form the side part or the crotch, after loops of one tubular knitted fabric are transferred to the other adjacent tubular knitted fabric to overlap loops of both knitted fabrics with each other at ends thereof on the side adjacent to each other, so as to form double loops, loops of the next course are formed in the double loops in subsequent knitting to join together the two adjacent tubular knitted fabrics.
However, since the joining portion is formed by merely overlapping the loops at the ends of the adjacent knitted fabrics with each other, when the knitted fabric is pulled in wearing, the pulling force is concentrated at the overlapped loops in the joining portion and, as a result, the knitted fabric are torn easily at the joining portion. In addition, since the joining portion is formed by merely forming loops of the next course sequent to the double loops, the joining portion is holed so that the joining portion may spoil the design of the knitwear.
In general, in order to prevent the joining portion from being holed, the joining portion is knitted in rib knitting with zigzag yarn feed to the needles of the front and back needle beds holding some loops of the adjacent knitted fabrics at ends thereof on the side of the boundary between the both knitted fabrics. However, this knitting is not so effective for preventing the knitted fabric from being tone at the joining portion, thus still presenting the functional problem, such as pull strength, for the side parts of the sweater and the crotch of the tights.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a knitting method of joining together adjacent tubular knitted fabrics at ends thereof on the sides adjacent to each other so that the joining portion of knitwear, such as the side part of sweater or at the crotch of pants, can be prevented from being holed and also can provide increased pull strength, and to provide a knitted fabric knitted in this knitting method.
To accomplish the object mentioned above, the present invention provides a method of joining together at least two tubular knitted fabrics by using a flat knitting machine comprising at least a pair of first and second needle beds, either or both of which is capable of being racked in a horizontal direction, wherein after front and back knitted fabric parts of the tubular knitted fabrics are joined to each other at widthwise ends thereof on the side adjacent to each other to form the at least two tubular knitted fabrics with needles in different regions on the flat knitting machine, the tubular knitted fabrics thus formed are joined to each other at ends thereof on the side adjacent to each other, to form a joining portion, such as a side part or a crotch of knitwear, and wherein the joining process commences from one of the tubular knitted fabrics toward the other tubular fabric in the state in which one of the front knitted fabric part and the back knitted fabric part of the at least two tubular knitted fabrics is held on the first needle bed and the other of the front knitted fabric part and the back knitted fabric part of the at least two tubular knitted fabrics is held on the second needle bed, to join together the both tubular knitted fabrics, the method comprising the following steps:
a) providing a tubular knitting, starting a joining process from a needle (h) holding a loop in a wale of one of the tubular knitted fabrics at an end thereof, in which a yarn is fed to the needle (h) of one needle bed holding the loop in the wale of the one tubular knitted fabric at an end thereof in a direction opposite to a join processing direction, to form a knitted loop thereon, first, and, then, the yarn is fed to a needle (h) of the other needle bed in the join processing direction, to form a knitted loop thereon,
b) providing the same tubular knitting as in the step a) for needles (g) holding loops formed one stitch backward of the needles (h) used in the step a) with respect to the join processing direction,
c) shifting the yarn to the needles (i) holding loops in a wale of the other tubular knitted fabric at an end thereof on the side adjacent to the one tubular knitted fabric formed two stitches forward of the needles (g) used in the step b) with respect to the join processing direction, to provide the same tubular knitting as in the step above for the needles (i),
d) feeding the yarn to the needles (h) holding the loops of the other tubular knitted fabric formed one stitch backward of the needles (i) used in the step c) with respect to the join processing direction, to provide the same tubular knitting as in the step above for the needles (h),
e) shifting the yarn to the needles (j) holding loops formed two stitches forward of the needles (h) used in the step d) with respect to the join processing direction, to provide the same tubular knitting as in the step above for the needles (j), and
f) feeding the yarn to the needles (i) holding the loops formed one stitch backward of the needles (j) used in the step e) with respect to the join processing direction, to provide the same tubular knitting as in the step above for the needles (i).
Preferably, the joining portion is provided by using the yarn used in knitting the one tubular knitted fabric.
In the method mentioned above, an adequate number of empty needles may be inserted in between the adjacent tubular knitted fabrics and the steps of feeding the yarn to the needles holding loops formed one stitch backward and then to the needles holding loops formed two stitches forward with respect to the join processing direction may be repeatedly provided for the empty needles as well to form the knitted loops thereon, so as to form a gore in the joining portion.
The knitted loops in the gore are formed in the rib knitting.
The present invention provides a knitted fabric produced in the method mentioned above.
According to this, when at least two adjacent tubular knitted fabrics are joined together at ends thereof on the side adjacent to each other, to form a side part or a crotch of knitwear, the process to join together the adjacent knitted fabrics progresses from one of the tubular fabrics to the other tubular fabric. During this process, a yarn is fed to needles holding loops formed one stitch backward with respect to a join processing direction to provide a tubular knitting for the needles, followed by shifting the yarn to needles holding loops formed two stitches forward with respect to the join processing direction, to provide the same tubular knitting as above for the needles, the knitting steps being repeatedly performed. As a result of this, a cross-over yarn is extended straight between the front and back knitted loops of the one tubular knitted fabric formed at an end thereof on the side adjacent to the other tubular fabric joining portion in the tubular knitting. This cross-over yarn enables the knitted loops in the joining portion to be joined to each other closely so as to prevent the joining portion from being holed. Also, since the tubular knitting is repeatedly performed with the needles holding the loops formed one stitch backward and the needles holding the loops formed two stitches forward with respect to the join processing direction, a cross-over yarn is extended between the right and left knitted loops. As a result of this, even when the joining portion of the knitted fabric is pulled in wearing, since the cross-over yarn is drawn out from the knitted fabric, the knitted fabric can be prevented from being tone at the joining portion. Also, this cross-over yarn to be drawn out from the knitted fabric serves to provide stretch for the joining portion of the knitted fabric.
The joining process may be provided in the state in which an adequate number of empty needles are inserted in between the adjacent tubular fabrics. In this joining process, the step of feeding the yarn to empty needles holding the loops formed one stitch backward and then to the empty needles holding the loops formed two stitches forward of the needles with respect to the join processing direction is repeatedly taken to form knitted loops. As a result of this, a gore is formed in between the adjacent tubular knitted fabrics. The gore thus formed can allow the joining portions of adjacent knitted fabrics to be closely joined to each other and also be well stretched via the cross-over yarn extending front and back and the cross-over yarn extending right and left. By forming the gore in the rib knitting, the number of times the yarn feeder is reversed in the yarn feed direction can be reduced to provide an improved knitting efficiency.